Gene Hackman and wife, Betsy Arakawa, both found dead at Santa Fe home
Hollywood star Gene Hackman has been found dead, aged 95, in his home in Santa Fe. Additionally, Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, was discovered to be deceased at the property upon it being searched by police. The couple’s dog has also passed away.
County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed in a statement provided to regional news publication Sante Fe New Mexican that Hackman and Arakawa, who was trained as a classical pianist, were found on February 26th by local police.
The publication quoted the police department as saying (per The Guardian), “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday.”
Currently, there is an “active investigation” into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa, according to the Press Association. However, the police have commented that there is no immediate indication of foul play.
No cause of death has been revealed for Hackman or Arakawa, and it’s also not been stated when it’s believed they died.
“All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,” the sheriff said of the deaths on February 26th.
He added: “I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone.”
Upon receiving a warrant, the police arrived at the couple’s property within a gated community in Old Sunset Trail. They first confirmed they found the bodies of a man in his 90s and a woman in her 60s before confirming their identities to be Hackman and Arakawa.
Hackman was one of the most prominent figures in Hollywood throughout the 1970s and ’80s. In 1972, he won ‘Best Actor’ at the Academy Awards for his performance in The French Connection, which confirmed his status at the top of his craft.
“I was trained to be an actor, not a star. I was trained to play roles, not to deal with fame and agents and lawyers and the press,” he once said of his love of acting. It is also a comment that highlights how he had a few notorious run-ins with directors over the years.
Arakawa first met Hackman in the 1980s at their local gym, shortly after his divorce from his first wife, Faye Maltese. Speaking about the seperation, he commented in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “I did not leave my real-life wife for a younger woman. We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other. When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love.”
Hackman had been with Arakawa ever since and she became a loving stepmother to his three children. The couple were also known to adopt German Shepherds and had a love for the breed.
Shortly after the couple began living together in 1990, Hackman underwent surgery for congestive heart failure. This prompted his retirement from acting and his transition towards writing novels. While he would be coaxed out of retirement a few times in the ensuring years, most notably for Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, he largely turned away from Hollywood.
In 2004, he left Los Angeles and moved to New Mexico were he resided up until the news of his death broke. During those years, he endeavoured to avoid stress on account of his heart condition, and said of his work as a novelist, “I like the loneliness of it, actually.”
Following the news of the couple’s passing, tributes have begun to pour in from around the world. The director Edgar Wright commented, “The greatest”.
George Takei added, “We have lost one of the true giants of the screen. Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it. He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That’s how powerful an actor he was. He will be missed, but his work will live on forever.”
This is a developing story.
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